folks, i foresee a true emergency at Gramercy. ROACHES
Erb
I joined this board to help make Gramercy a better place. Today I
helped out 3 of the members fight for what is right.
In doing so, I gained additional respect from Joseph and the
"Engineering" team. I also made a mortal enemy with the boss of the
Leasing department. Also, the accounting department knows me well and
laughs about my not paying the VAT tax. We had a fun time laughing
about it. It is one thing I truly love about this country. Normally,
people have a good attitude even if you disagree.
On a side note, while at the accounting office I did tell a unit owner
who was paying her bills NOT to pay the VAT tax on Common area tax.
This unit owner asked the accounting office: "If I don't pay the VAT
tax, will I accumulate interest. Of course the accounting staff said
"Yes, Ma'am" The accounting staff went on to explain to the unit owner
that all of the other developers charge this VAT tax, but they just make
it a "Hidden Charge" and that Gramercy is upfront and honest and shows
everything outright. The lady paying the bills believed them 100% and
agreed to pay it.
Now onto the problem that will create hell for all of us.
This is a TRUE emergency and needs to be addressed immediately and
persistently.
GERMAN COCKROACHES HAVE INFESTED SOME UNITS.
German cockroaches are the small roaches. Unlike the large ones which
are easy to get rid of, these roaches are next to impossible once they
infest an area. I realize that Gramercy does common area pest control,
yet there is ZERO pest control for individual units. The engineering
staff told me the roaches appeared because the floor was flooded in the
unit. What the engineer said was technically correct, as the roaches
live UNDERNEATH the laminate flooring and above the concrete. There
must have been 1000's or them under the flooring before the flood came.
It is IMPERATIVE that part of the association dues includes pest control
for EVERY UNIT. This needs to be mandatory for each unit. In my 2 star
building, this is the policy. We have ZERO roaches in a building.
In my 1 star building, there is only common area pest control and the
building is COMPLETELY INFESTED.
I realize that the current management will be WAY TO CONSERVATIVE in
their interpretation of what is considered an emergency. For myself, I
consider the following 3 items EMERGENCIES: 1. Fire 2. Water 3. Pests
Before this past flood came, the only emergency they deemed serious
enough to enter a unit was a fire. Jospeph's attitude regarding water
has now changed and it is now considered an emergency worth going inside
a unit.
I guess I have to ask the group, does having MILLION upon MILLIONS of
cockroaches in the building bother you?
Also, what can be done about this problem with the current management in
place? Unlike many of the people on this board, I do respect Jospeph
and think if he was given more power to act, that he could and would do
so. Yet, in this case, the board will NEVER allow him to act upon this
issue. We need to act soon before "Century City" is called "Cockroach
City."
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George DeCarlo
This is a problem and may require dangerous chemicals the first time. Getting people to keep their units clean and hygenic is another problem. For us we do not have pest control since we do keep a clean unit that is kept very clean. We regularly and do spot cleaning of the floors with rubbing alcohol. The bugs hate that. Of course all other surfaces are kept clean with garbage cans clean and emptied when needed. Here is another good natural method. Get one if those aroma therapy units and one bottle of peppermint and on bottle of Cyprus essential oils. One day use one then the other the next. Place 15-20 drops. Do this for a week or two. Then you will just need to once or twice every couple of weeks. Bugs hate the scents. But clean first.
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Jun Kabigting, MBA/MS/HRMP
Jun Kabigting, MBA/MS/HRMP
Managing Director, HR Central K.K.
Chief Community Officer, The Japan HR Society (JHRS)
Managing Editor, The HR Agenda--Japan's first & only bilingual HR magazine
Founding Chairman, The Kabataang-Pilipino Foundation Inc. (KPFI)
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John Booth
I have watched this group evolve over the months as I was interested in the concept at the beginning.
I, like most people was very angry at the way the unit was turned over, the quality was poor, costs high and I was not allowed to see it before accepting it which is ludicrous.
My first desire was to sell it ASAP and I put it with the resale group who did absolutely nothing for me.
The tenancy deal then was prohibitive so the only way to cut my losses was to move in.
Two years later, there have been changes in the PMO and their attitudes and now this is a pleasant place to live with excellent amenities.
I look at the concerns people have, some seem genuine, some seem nonsense. Gramercy aren't there to pay your utility bills for example and capital gains tax is not the fault of Century.
Yes the association dues billing is invariably wrong, but I am fairly intelligent and when I point out the errors they fix them.
Problems with units is a concern, we had water come in through closed windows during one of the typhoons, and fortunately we were here to mop up and save the floor. My neighbor had to replace his at his own expense but this would be a battle with Century, not PMO.
A flood is a problem but the owner and tenant of the unit that caused the flood are both unreachable, so it seems the only option was to cut the water.
Roaches, yes a definate problem and I also have noticed an increase of them. Pest control has taken place on the hallways, I am not sure what will be involved to do individual units. I think treating the elevator shafts would be wise.
But the driving issue of the group I see most is that of double taxation on the real estate. For my unit this 12% tax amounts to some 2000 pesos a year. By paying a year in advance get most of that back.
I have asked the PMO about this and am assured that it is paid, so this battle will be with the bureau of internal revenue, not the PMO.
PMO have raised the issue with BIR but did not get a response for the tax. However the response they did get was for PMO to provide details of the owners and tenants. Fortunately they have refused to provide this.
So all you guys out there with tenants, have you registered a company with the BIR and declared your taxes?
Are you sure forcing this issue wont bring us all under the BIR scrutiny?
I didn't join the group so I cannot see all the new issues you intend to fight. But it appears to me that most of the contributers so far were absent owners.
For the resident owners it is a good place to live.
Personally I am satisfied with the PMO although I am concerned about the control Century hold over them. I don't know if Century would ever relinquish this control even with an independent PMO.
I am not sure I would want the authority of property management in the control of absent owners
Regards
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Erb
I also agree that Gramercy is a nice place to live and that there are only half a dozen problems that have major issues.
Marco Antonio once told me "Do you want better quality or higher prices?" These guys are master marketers, and give us great amenities that are mostly finished. Yet for the prices we paid, the units are less than acceptable quality.
We just have to accept that. Nothing will ever change this. This is Century Properties. It is who they are!!!
You have to accept that you need to upgrade your flooring for it to be of standard quality.
You have to accept that your C.R. floors won't drain. (9 of my 10 did not drain properly)
You have to accept that the kitchen countertops need to be replaced 6 months after you use them.
These are not things within our control.
What I love about Jun and this board is that we are tackling the issues of what we can control.
No matter how clean you keep your unit, you can not keep German Cockroaches out of your flooring, not matter how clean your unit is. It is IMPOSSIBLE without pest control.
Ok, we all know what the top 5 items are. We don't want to have Century walk away from Gramercy, we just don't want them in control. One of the reasons why our costs are so higher is that Centruy owns the agency of its staff. I am curious to know what the mark up is per staff member? Is it within a standard mark up percentage?
As for myself, I am in the middle of registering a company and already am will be paying the taxes, but I realize that most unit owners will not. One good thing so far about the PMO is that they are holding back to the BIR letting them know who rents out their unit. They could really screw everyone here if they wanted to. The PMO has all of the rental agreements.
Overall Gramercy is a great place to live, but there are issues here that need to be addressed.
Lets continue to address them. Onwards and upwards.
Erb
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